Apocalyptic Clash

A huge horde of orcs and Tyrannids were rampaging mindlessly across Yufruth VII threatening Dark Eldar and Necron artefacts located there. Imotekh and Nemesor Zahndrekh both accompanied a force totalling 3999 in an attempt to halt this desecration. Unusually, Dark Eldar forces moved to support with a force 3000 strong. This matched the enemy estimated strength of 7000 which was evenly divided between the two galactic plagues. Both commanders were hampered by fiendish attempts at biological warfare but continued undeterred.*

*Not much good against Necrons really

The battleship NNV Dominator orbiting above would provide bombardment support, on the ground heavy support was in the shape of a tomb stalker, the Doomsday Ark NNV Thunder Child and the Annihilation Barge NNV Strident. In the skies above the Doom Scythe NNV Spitfire and in reserve the monoliths NNV Intrepid and NNV Obliterator. The Strident and stalker took position on the right, the Thunder Child more centrally at the rear.

For fast attack we had five wraiths plus two squads of three Aconthrites all the right close to the tomb stalker. Three heavy destroyers stationed themselves to the right of the Thunder Child.

Our elites were made up of two CíTan shards, one on each flank, a Triarch stalker on the left and a squad of seven deathmarks aboard the Night Scythe NNV Faithful. Troops were three squads of ten warriors who held the centre including one squad aboard the Ghost ark NNV Crucial Advance. A unit of eight immortals were aboard a second Night Scythe, the NNV Ordered Conquest.

Phaeron Imotekh led the right hand unit of warriors well dug in. He also had a Lord on his unit. Nemesor Zahndrekh led the left hand warriors, accompanied by a cryptek. A cryptek led the immortals and a second lord the deathmarks aboard the transports in reserve.

A couple of dark Eldar vessels skulked on our right flank but the bulk of the promised aid was conspicuous by its absence. Our allies had laid a minefield covering the left quarter of the no mans land between us and we watched as the orcs assembled in large numbers on both flanks and the Tyrannids including three monstrous creatures massed in the centre.

We opened fire with stormy skies blasting a few orcs and Hormagaunts as Imotekh called forth his storms. The Dominator could not yet zero in and with the restricted visibility and long range early shooting was limited to the CíTan on the left and the Triarch Stalker picking off a few termagants together with a few speculative shots from our troops, the Thunder Child and the Strident.

The enemy hordes poured forward and immediately were slowed by the minefield which was just as well as our left looked particularly weak. Things began to warm up next turn though as the monolith Intrepid deep struck behind the enemy lines and the Spitfire and Ordered Conquest screamed overhead towards the enemy centre.

Imotekhís lightning was at work again and our right flank now opened up on the advancing orcs. This had little effect on the extreme right where three Aconthrites and the tomb stalker were stationed, but the Strident, the other CíTan with its pyreshards and Dark Eldar lances were much more effective against their opponents

Death ray and tesla fire from our fliers also took a toll on the central Tyrannid attackers destroying a heavy support unit on the hill and weakening further termagant and hormagaunt units in the van of the enemy advance. The Triarch stalker had already taken glancing hits, and the left was not looking good as orc choppas moved across the minefield that was depleting the enemy troops nicely.

The Crucial Advance had exploded with 30% casualties in the centre and the Nemesorís unit was attracting heavy fire and taking losses. On the right our assault on the orcs was going less well than hoped as they proved resilient opponents. The immortals disembarked from the Ordered Conquest centre right.

Large numbers of dark Eldar reinforcements at least were now arriving on our right, but also arriving in our deployment zone a number of Tyrannid units deep striking. One monster that emerged from a pod wiped out our heavy destroyers just like that with a fiendish brain sucking psychic attack. A huge snake like beast appeared in front of our troops too and a flying beast attacked the Eldar on the right.

The Obliterator was now brought in by deep strike, arriving behind the enemy right but both monoliths were quickly disabled by assaulting orcs. At least this had the effect of slowing the enemy on our left. The Triarch Stalker was now wrecked and Nemesor Zahndrekhís unit was destroyed by concerted enemy fire from multiple units, forcing him to join the survivors of the Crucial Advance.

The Aconthrites and the Tomb Stalker were joined by our wraiths and we continued to weaken the enemy left with fire from our combined units on that flank. An orc unit was almost wiped out and a much depleted hormagaunt unit ended up assaulting our immortals, taking heavy losses from their tesla snap shots and the cryptekís deadly lightning field.

The Tyrannid gene stealers and brain sucker that had menaced our rear were destroyed by the Dark Eldar, aided by fire from the Thunder Child. The Intrepid was wrecked in the enemy rear and the Obliterator exploded after a final lash of its particle whip following continual assaults by the orc leader. The Spitfire suffered damaged and was unable to change course or speed as a result and left the engagement at speed despite cowardly orc attempts to bring it down.

Imotekhís storm had lifted, but the orbiting Dominator now dropped a heavy torpedo tearing a hole in the Tyrannid assault. The CíTan shard on the left held up well destroying one of the two choppa units, the other unit failing to assault. Our right hand CíTan unfortunately failed its assault attempt on the almost destroyed orc unit holding an objective. The Aconthrites attacked a unit of gene stealers in the same area and though they inflicted some losses were eventually destroyed.

The Aconthrites on the right also were destroyed, through the tomb stalker and wraiths continued the fight. Nemesor Zahndrekh and his adopted unit now fell too and Imotekhís unit took casualties from the enemy flier which the Strident had engaged unsuccessfully. The immortals destroyed the hormagaunts at last but failed to contest the nearly objective.

The engagement broke off. The enemy had taken heavy casualties to its troop units in the centre and failed to reach assault range. The minefield had done its job well preventing the orcs reaching our left where the CíTan had held well. The enemy remained strong however, with at least five Tyrannid monstrous creatures intact though one at least was damaged and another had stopped spawning.

Only a few enemy units were destroyed, possibly as few as six, though most troop units had suffered some losses at least. The dark Eldar seemed to have held up well, whereas we had lost Nemesor Zahndrekh and his warriors; the Crucial Advance and its passengers; our Aconthrites and heavy destroyers; plus the stalker and two monoliths. The enemy held the majority of objectives and could justifiably claim victory.

Our two remaining troop squads had both taken losses making our total troop losses about 60%. The wraiths took casualties too Ė around 40% and one CíTan shard was injured. In all, ten units were lost out of 23, with eight others undamaged, including of course the Faithful and her deathmark squad that failed to arrive in time.

When rallied our overall force strength had been reduced by nearly 45% to 2223 which takes no account of the damage to the Spitfire and the injured CíTan. Enemy losses very tentatively estimated at 25%. With the Dark Eldar losses factored in our overall losses were possibly about the same.